Triple A-Wing Tips

[bwingstrike 132]

So I'm planning on running a triple A-Wing list at my next tournament this weekend. I'm hoping for any tips you guys may have. As soon as my Proton Rockets are gone, I start to struggle.

Current list is:

Jake - PTL, VI, Proton Rockets & Autothrusters

Tycho - PTL, Daredevil, Proton Rockets & Autothrusters

Gemmer - PTL, Proton Rockets & Autothrusters

I've considered dropping Gemmer for a B with a cannon to provide some 3 red dice attacks, but think it will be isolated and picked off easily.

[Moneyinvolved 352]

Best I can say with Triple A's is target priority. Take out the hardest targets to get in range one of. If you can consistently get at least two A's in range one you should be ok after the prockets are gone

[xXWarsmithXx 310]

I will second the above poster.  You may have to play very defensively after you spend your rockets.  It is okay to destroy a target and then evade until time is up.

[FuturistiKen 316]

I will second the above poster.  You may have to play very defensively after you spend your rockets.  It is okay to destroy a target and then evade until time is up.

 

Totally.  And think like Soontir - don't be afraid to disengage and maneuver for a better position and shots of opportunity.  I agree that a single B-Wing will either be easily isolated, or else you'll hobble you A-Wings by trying to keep them close.  Remember what Adm. Thrawn told us: A-Wings are best suited to "hit and fade" operations.

[Moneyinvolved 352]

I will second the above poster. You may have to play very defensively after you spend your rockets. It is okay to destroy a target and then evade until time is up.

Agreed about surviving. If you have to run, it's not being unsportsmanlike. Waiting for opportunity and playing on your speed to outmanuver is the strength of the A wing.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Moneyinvolved

[bwingstrike 132]

Think that may be a part of the problem, I normally stay in the fight. Probably as I'm used to running b-wings.

Thanks for the tips!

[PaulTiberius 1,103]

On a related note, I was trying to make a list based around my shiny new K-Wing, and decided 3 A-Wings would be fun to try. They can keep up with the 3-SLAMming K, I can do them cheaply, and I hadn't done anything with my trio of A's in months. So it was pure whim, and I don't claim this is a great build or anything.

I could fit 2 Greens and 1 Proto around my Miranda build, with enough points (after Chardaan Refits) to give the Greens PTL. With some shuffling of Miranda's upgrades, I figured I would try Test Pilots and get second EPTs on my Greens.

But I quickly realized in my unfamiliarity with A-Wing builds...what the heck do you want for that second EPT slot??

Any basic tips?

[Rodafowa 2,483]

Crackshot would seem a natural fit. A nice cheap offensive boost without much of an opportunity cost once you've already got PTL.

[PaulTiberius 1,103]

Crackshot would seem a natural fit. A nice cheap offensive boost without much of an opportunity cost once you've already got PTL.

Hmm. Since I don't have Crackshot yet, I didn't consider it. But what did people put on Greens for the second EPT slot before? Or did they not, and save Test Pilot for the aces?

[Moneyinvolved 352]

 

Crackshot would seem a natural fit. A nice cheap offensive boost without much of an opportunity cost once you've already got PTL.

Hmm. Since I don't have Crackshot yet, I didn't consider it. But what did people put on Greens for the second EPT slot before? Or did they not, and save Test Pilot for the aces?

 

outmaneuver or intimidation are fun

[LouisCypher 355]

I usually run:

Jake (VI, title, ptl, Prockets, stealth device)

Psycho Tycho (ptl, title, daredevil, exp interface, prockets)

Green (ptl, autothrusters, Ion pulse Missiles)

for 99 pts for initiative bid.

I usually choose a target and try to kill it with prockets (if target is low agi, a single one + some primary; or both rockets if needed).

Then i look for another target trying to have the more r1 shot i can because of my aces superior ability, or simply let them come to me if ahead onpoints and make some mistakes. IPM on Green is pretty useful both to prepare your big prockets strike or to scare (and maybe hit) a dangerous enemy ship and keep it out of the fight.

[Kdubb 6,642]

I find the A-wing lists that do the best against me use Prockets on the high agility ships, leaving the low agility ships for the 2-3 dice attacks. If you don't get those high agility ships down and you use your prockets elsewhere, you will really struggle end game.

[Skeve 58]

I ran something very similar recently, and actually did use a B-Wing for my third ship. I ran Ibtisam + Sensor Jammer + Elusiveness, which made for a surprisingly hard to kill B-Wing. My opponent failed to knock it out in the first couple rounds of combat when I went evasive with it while he tried to concentrate all fire on it, which gave Tycho and Jake the chance to close in for target-locked procket shots that took out the centerpiece of his build in one round.

[Pinch1loaf 44]

Try outmaneuver is solid gold on an A-Wing list. It removes the benefits of many meta heavy builds which rely on defensive upgrades to maximize their green dice like Soontir fel, brobots or c-3po. Give it a try. I've had much success with it.

 

The key with A-wings is to fan out. They're resilient enough to resist a shot or two. Don't let the opponent concentrate fire. Dodge arcs, play cat and mouse. Use ordnance wisely. Outmaneuver also counters the red dice deficit they suffer from.

[Nataris 259]

Imo, A wings simply are not good enough to stand up in the current meta. I can't possibly imagine a triple build being worth it.

They are outclassed by so many ships in so many different ways. As a solo flanker, perhaps. But to carry an entire squad? No way..

I do however pray you can prove me wrong. I'd love to be able to fly an A with some kind of confidence.

[williamames3 50]

Imo, A wings simply are not good enough to stand up in the current meta. I can't possibly imagine a triple build being worth it.

They are outclassed by so many ships in so many different ways. As a solo flanker, perhaps. But to carry an entire squad? No way..

I do however pray you can prove me wrong. I'd love to be able to fly an A with some kind of confidence.

Tips here are golden, well used ordinance and hit and fade do very well. If you truly believe a-wings are not competitive you've never played a good a-wing pilot.

Don't get me wrong it's high tension matches you have your work cut out for you and mistakes will be punished, harshly. But when flown well they can be very hard to kill and ordinance will probably have your key ships dead.

[mxlm 902]

So I'm planning on running a triple A-Wing list at my next tournament this weekend. I'm hoping for any tips you guys may have. As soon as my Proton Rockets are gone, I start to struggle.

Current list is:

Jake - PTL, VI, Proton Rockets & Autothrusters

Tycho - PTL, Daredevil, Proton Rockets & Autothrusters

Gemmer - PTL, Proton Rockets & Autothrusters

I've considered dropping Gemmer for a B with a cannon to provide some 3 red dice attacks, but think it will be isolated and picked off easily.

 

Take a look around as you're unpacking. If you see a lot of high-PS aces, I'd strongly recommend switching Daredevil out for VI. You would then also replace Gemmer with Arvel, leaving you at 99 points (to give away the initiative). The triple A's greatest weakness is high-PS arc-dodging*. Arvel gets around that by moving first, tokening up, and shooting you in your stupid face once you run into him. VI Jake and Tycho get around that by moving after Soontir. 

 

VI is a lot less fun that Daredevil, no question. And against lists where you have PS advantage anyway, it does nothing for you. But it allows you to (more) reliably get Prockets off on lists like RACcoontir or VI brobots. 

 

*Or possibly TLT lists. I certainly didn't perform well against those tonight, but I made some obvious-in-retrospect errors that might have made a difference. Don't try to joust the TLT list if it's running Biggs, for one!

Edited September 4, 2015 by mxlm

[Pinch1loaf 44]

 

Imo, A wings simply are not good enough to stand up in the current meta. I can't possibly imagine a triple build being worth it.

They are outclassed by so many ships in so many different ways. As a solo flanker, perhaps. But to carry an entire squad? No way..

I do however pray you can prove me wrong. I'd love to be able to fly an A with some kind of confidence.

Tips here are golden, well used ordinance and hit and fade do very well. If you truly believe a-wings are not competitive you've never played a good a-wing pilot.

Don't get me wrong it's high tension matches you have your work cut out for you and mistakes will be punished, harshly. But when flown well they can be very hard to kill and ordinance will probably have your key ships dead.

 

I have a friend who flew a lot of Brobots prior to the regionals to practice up. I could beat most other in our group often enough with a variety of squads but I just could not beat his Brobots. Even with a Fat Han build I had a difficult time winning. Then one day I tried 3 A-wings for fun. I won quite handily. Thought it was just luck, so we played again, and again, and I won each time no matter what he tried. I used it against the rest of the group too. The list did well against RAC and Fel along with other power builds.

 

During the store championship season before autothrusters and phantom nerf I took 3 A-wings and an e-wing. I beat a soontir fel whisper list from a guy who was runner up at this years regionals.

 

If you underestimate A-wings, I promise I will beat you. A-Wings feed off of meta-heads. Mwahahahahaha!